Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

JAMES DALZIEL DOUGALL, OF WESTMINSTER, GREAT BRITAIN.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING `FIRE-ARMS.

To all lwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES DALZIEL DOU- GALL, of No. 59 Saint James Street, Westminster, in the county of Middlesex, Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech- Loading Guns and Fire-Arms 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

Thisinvention applies to guns known in Warfare as camelguns77 or wall-pieces,77 and such other light artillery as can be readily carried from place to place, as'required, and fired from a tripod or other stand, or from the top of a wall or bank,and are principally directed against the enemys artillerymen, the object of the invention being to render such pieces capable ot' being loaded at the breech, and to prevent theinconvenience and danger arising from the recoiling of the same, the invention being also applicable to punt-guns used in Wild-fowl shooting, and to such other heavy fowlingpieces or rifles as are tired from a rest.

The invention consists, first, in a peculiar manner of hinging the breech-piece tothe bal'- rel by means of a pin and eccentric, on operating which the breech-piece may be moved away from or toward the rear end of the barrel, as described hereinafter; sccondl y, in a device for locking the breech piece to the barrel and maintaining them in line with each other 5 and, thirdly, in a device for guiding the breechpiece to its proper position in relation to the barrel.

In order to enable others skilled in the'art to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specilication,Figure 1 represents a side elevation of one ot' my improved camelguns tted on a tripod stand, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same as seen from above. Theseigures are drawn toascale ot' about two inches to a foot.

A A is the barrel, fitted with a swiveling socket, B B, supported on the tripod C G, so that any required elevation may be given to -the piece atthe same time that itcan be pointed laterally in any direction. D D is a handle fixed on the end of a tightening screw, b v means of which the piece is fixed when adjusted. E E is the breech-piece, and F F the locking-lever. The details of the arrangements of these parts will be best seen in the enlarged views, Figs. 3,4, and 5, which are drawn about half the actual size.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the rear end of the barrel and breech-piece, the latter being shown as depressed; and FigJI is a similar view with the breech -piece raised and locked in a line with the barrel. Fig. 5 is an end view of the barrel.

I would here remark that the breech-piece may either be bored out to receive the charge, as shown in the drawings, -or the breechpiece maybe entirely solid and the breech end of the barrel bored or chambered out for the same purpose, in which latter case the arrangements for igniting the charge will have to be attached to the barrel instead of the breech-piece.

Under the breech end of the barrel A A is a tongue, a, a, in a recess in which the eccen tric b b, keyed upon the pin c c, fits, by means of which latter the breech-piece E E is hinged to the tongue a a. The chamber in which the charge is placed is shown at d d and the annular recess in the breech-piece at c e. f f is the projection on the rear end of the barrel, which iits therein. g gis the lever by means of which the pin c c, with its eccentric b b, is turned round.

On referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that upon turning the lever g g over into the position represented by the dotted line h h the eccentric b b will be turned partly round, which will force the breech-piece backinto the position drawn in dotted lines in that ligure. The recess e e will then be 'clear ot' the projection ff, at the same time that the projection i i on the breech-piece will be removed from the recess k 7c in the tongue a a, and the breech-piece will fall down to any desired position or angle, as represented in Fig. 3, when it can be conveniently loaded; and on bringing it up again into a line with the barrel and turning the lever g g over to the rear the breech-piece will be locked fast ready for ring.

l l is a pin fixed in the breech-piece, and m m a notch cut in the tongue a e, their Workingsurfaces being sli ghtlyinclined so as to wedge up the breech-piece and bring it into a perfect line with the barrel before the projection fj' enters the recess e c.

Without confining myself to the precise form and dimensions of the several parts above described, I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination of the breech-piece E,v

its recess e, the pin c, eccentric b, and barrel A, with its annular projectionf, the whole being constructed, arranged, and operating substantiaily as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The projectiont on the breech-piece, in

JAMES DALZIEL DOUGALL.

Witnesses:

BRisToW HUNT, Solicitor and Patent Agent, l Scrlc Street, Low

dou.

DoUGLAs JoscELYNE, Clerk, l Serle Street, London'. 

